What is the real hope for family farms in the U.S., particularly those devoted to growing organic produce? That is the question posed by filmmaker Chuck Schultz in this profile of Jeff and Annie Main, who have not only worked their land in California's Central Valley since 1976, but also been involved for a decade in spearheading efforts to ensure that small growers like themselves will be able to pass the tradition on to the next generation. The Last Crop shows the couple working in the fields, and preparing a newsletter that, Annie admits, may be as much a key to their success as the goods produced on the land. The film also documents their participation in the local Community Supported Agriculture system, which brings together producers and consumers in a joint economic enterprise. And it follows their efforts to raise funds for an affirmative agricultural easement that would place the land in a trust for similar small farmers that would extend sustainability by protecting the territory from others in the case of economic forces that threaten to absorb it for other purposes. The issue is personal for the Mains, who have to talk to their children—a son who has taken a job as a fireman and a daughter who has left to study at an East Coast art school—about whether they will choose to continue their parents' work on the farm. One can't help but admire Jeff and Annie's tenacity and dedication, while also pondering the future of small-scale American agriculture. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)
The Last Crop
(2016) 69 min. DVD: $89: public libraries & high schools; $295: colleges & universities. BluePrint Productions. PPR. SDH captioned. Volume 32, Issue 1
The Last Crop
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